CRICKET AT TIHOI

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 5, 13 February 1952, Page 3

CRICKET AT TIHOI

RAIN SPOILS MATC'H Rain unfortunately spoilt the match between Tihoi and Taupo on 8th. of this month when the Taupo Club travelled over nearly 40 miles of rough road to play the mill team, Last year Tihoi vtrengthened |by other players from the surrounding dlstricts, played each week-end at Mangakino. The team is captained by Mr Bob Beckett, the mill man, ager, and included two other members of the Beckett family. The morning was dull and far from promising, but twelve players and four supporters set out from Taupo full of hope. Taupo batted first on a true and even concrete wicket. Shortly after the game started a shower sent the players to shelter for a few minutes, and further interruptions took place throughout the morning and afternoon. Patchett was caught with the score at 10, and Forster and Acres added 51 for the second wicket before the latter played the ball onto his pads and thence on to the wicket for 31. The ball was naturally rising high off the 'concrete, and as some of the bowlers failed to attack the stumps they gave the batsmen plenty of opportunity to slash the ball past point or t'hrough the slips, or else to hook it past square leg. Collett in particular took full advantage of this, and carved for himself four successive boundaries in his first over at the erease whilst a four and a six off Frank Beckett followed shortly afterwards. Frank Beckett had been bowling very steadily, his first 6 overs yielding 10 runs. The partnership of Forster & Collett yielded 61 runs, & just when Collett had eaught his partner and the scores were 41 each a particularly smart piece of fielding and return by Whare resulted in Forster being run out. Collett was clean bowled by Beckett 8 runs later. Strange started to hit the bowling straight away and with Beale added another good partnership of54 of which Beale's share was only 6. Strange wa$ scoring particularly fast to get his runs, and when bowled by Dean his 55 had taken him only 50 minutes. Loughlin launched a fusilade against the houses alongside the ground which resounded to the thuds as four sixes clashed against the woodwork, and he finally retired with 42 to his credit to enable the other batsmen to have a knock. Woodward retired for 8 and Thomas hit three fours and a six before being caught. Stone and Clark were not out when the closure was applied with nine wickets down for 274. Tihoi commenced their innings after the tea adjournment, and Strange commenced by skittling all three stumps out of the ground with the first ball of the innings. The incoming batsmen Dick rather luckily glided the next ball for four. After that Dick and Burgess defended stoutly for a few overs, but both survived fortunate shots which lobbed elear of the field whilst isqqare leg missed a difficult catch. Rain twice broke into the proceedings at this stage and finally, shortly after 4 p.m. it set in for the evening and play had to be abandoned with the scoreboard reading 20 for one wicket. Despite their inauspicious start Tihoi still had plenty of batsmen to enab'le it to catch the Taupo total if time had permitted, and it was most disappointing to both sides that the game was terminated so suddenly.